UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
PREVENTION RESEARCH CENTER NOTES
“Promoting Health through Physical Activity”

Welcome to 2004! While reviewing this issue of the newsletter
it struck me how much is happening in the scientific, practice and
policy realms of physical activity promotion. It’s really amazing
to see the progress being made and the expanding nature of our efforts.
More emphasis is being placed on evaluating multi-disciplinary policy
and environmental approaches to promoting physical activity, while
very important research is moving forward at the individual behavior
and organizational change levels. In addition, policy makers, funding
agencies, and advocates continue to support and respond to the unfolding
scientific agendas and programmatic strategic plans. Despite the
many challenges we all face, it’s a wonderful and exciting time
to be involved with physical activity promotion. We look forward
to working with all of you to achieve a very productive 2004.

10 BEST WALKING CITIES IN AMERICA:
The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) and Prevention
Magazine examined the most populated cities in the US for walking-friendly
characteristics such as safe air quality, crime, how many people
walk to work each day, pedestrian deaths, rainfall, and the number
of parks, health clubs, sports stores and podiatrists. The survey
identified the ten best walking cities as New York, San Francisco,
Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle, Denver, Washington DC, Chicago, Portland,
and Cleveland. Each city also has a government-appointed walking
coordinator. To read more details, visit http://www.apma.org/citywalks/topcities.htm.<back to top>

SENATE PASSES IMPACT BILL:
The Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act (IMPACT Act), which
amends the Public Health Service Act to address issues of overweight
and obesity, was passed by the Senate on December 9, 2003. The focus
will now shift to the House, where the Act (H.R. 716) remains in
committee. Follow the bill’s progress at http://thomas.loc.gov.<back to top>

TEA-21 REAUTHORIZATION
UPDATE:
The House and Senate are each considering different versions of
the TEA-21 Reauthorization bill. The Senate version (SAFETEA, S.
1072) focuses on policy and avoids spelling out funding priorities,
but the newly introduced Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for
Users (TEA-LU, H.R. 3005) provides more funding specifics and calls
for $275 billion over the next six years. Visit www.tea3.org for
more information.<back to top>

RESEARCH NOTES

PA IN AMISH ADULTS:
Physical activity was measured among a group of Old Order Amish
adults, between 18 and 75 years of age, using pedometers, daily
activity logs, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire
(IPAQ). Only 4% of this population was classified as obese, and
26% overweight. Amish men reported an average of 10 hours/week
of vigorous activity and 43 hours/week of moderate activity. Amish
women reported an average of 3 hours/week of vigorous activity and
39 hours/week of moderate activity. Amish men averaged over 18,000
steps/day and women averaged over 14,000 steps/day over the 7-day
period. Unlike other populations, this group did not appear to
have a significant age-related decline in steps per day. Bassett,
Schneider, Huntington, et al. “Physical Activity in an Old Order
Amish Community.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise,
36(1):79-85, 2004.<back to top>

ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN
COMMUNITY PERCEPTIONS AND PA LEVELS:
Eighteen hundred men and women were surveyed regarding their perceptions
of their community and its influence on physical activity. The
authors developed an 18-item measure of protective social factors
(PSFs), which were measured in 8 dimensions: social networks, participation,
social cohesion, informal social control, sense of community, reciprocity,
trust, and safety. Although the PSF score was strongly correlated
with meeting PA recommendations for whites, the measures were not
associated with meeting recommendations for African-Americans.
The PSF measures also displayed different predictive ability for
different income levels. Brennan, Baker, Haire-Joshu, et al. “Linking
Perceptions of the Community to Behavior: Are Protective Social
Factors Associated With Physical Activity?” Health Education &
Behavior, 30(6):740-755, 2003.<back to top>

PA, BMI, CALORIC INTAKE AND CVD
MORTALITY:
Data from a 17-year epidemiological follow-up of the first NHANES
survey was examined to determine the relationship of caloric intake,
body mass index, and physical activity to CVD mortality. When
BMI, physical activity, and caloric intake were used in a single
model, physical activity and obesity were each significantly related
to CVD mortality, while calorie intake was not. Fang, Wylie-Rosett,
Cohen, et al. “Exercise, Body Mass Index, Caloric Intake, and Cardiovascular
Mortality.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine, (25)4:283-289,
2003.<back to top>

EXERCISE BEHAVIOR CHANGE
IN WOMEN:
One hundred and fifteen sedentary women, aged 40-65 years, took
part in an 18-month intervention designed to examine the effects
of a stage-based intervention on exercise behavior change. Participants
were assigned to either a center-based program or a home-based program
and within these to either vigorous or moderate exercise for first
six months. For the remaining 12 months both groups were home-based
and received supportive telephone calls every six weeks. Written
materials based on the anticipated stage of change for each phase
of the program were distributed to participants in both groups.
Only 11% of those completing the project remained sedentary. There
was no difference between the exercise intervention groups in terms
of the patterns of change; therefore the intervention was effective
regardless of the setting or intensity. Cox, Gorely, Puddey, et
al. “Exercise Behaviour Change in 40 to 65-year old Women: The
SWEAT Study (Sedentary Women Exercise Adherence Trial).” British
Journal of Health Psychology, 8:477-495, 2003.<back to top>

NEW CHRONIC DISEASE JOURNAL:
The inaugural issue of Preventing Chronic Disease: Public Health
Research, Practice, and Policy is now available online at www.cdc.gov/pcd.
The January issue includes “Population-based interventions engaging
communities of color in healthy eating and active living: a review”
by Yancey, Kumanyika, Ponce et al. All articles are available as
HTML documents and as PDF files.<back to top>

SPECIAL SECTION ON BUILT ENVIRONMENT
AND HEALTH:
The December 2003 issue of the Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin
of the New York Academy of Medicine (volume 80 no. 4) contains
a special feature section on the built environment and health.<back to top>

HEALTHY SCHOOLS FOR HEALTHY
KIDS:
Two national polls show that teachers and parents overwhelmingly
agree that schools should provide access to healthy foods and daily
physical education as a means to address the childhood obesity epidemic.
These and other poll results are detailed in Healthy Schools
for Healthy Kids, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The report is based on two years of interviews, schools site visits
and policy analyses. It can be viewed at http://www.rwjf.org/programareas/resources/product.jsp?id=20811&pid=1138&gsa=1<back to top>

ACTIVE KIDS, HEALTHY KIDS:
Active Kids, Healthy Kids aims to increase the number of children
and youth in Nova Scotia who accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous
physical activity every day. The initiative has six components that
include program and policy development, active communities, active
school communities, active community environments, public education,
and evaluation and monitoring. Visit http://www.gov.ns.ca/ohp/srd/activekidshealthykids/
for more information.<back to top>

REGISTRY OF CHILDREN’S OBESITY
EFFORTS:
Shaping America’s Youth is a national initiative to centralize information
about the various ongoing efforts to fight obesity and inactivity
among children and adolescents. Information will be obtained about
intervention programs, funding sources, and ongoing research to
increase physical activity and healthy eating behaviors and will
be organized into a national, searchable database. A summary document
will also be created. For more information on the initiative or
to register your organization’s effort visit http://www.shapingamericasyouth.com
or call 1-800-SAY-9221.<back to top>

NASPE RECOMMENDS MORE PHYSICAL
ACTIVITY FOR KIDS:
The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE)
has revised their physical activity recommendations for kids. In
the revised report, Physical Activity for Children: A Statement
of Guidelines forChildren Ages 5-12, NASPE recommends
at least 60 minutes and up to several hours of physical activity
a day. Along with an increase in time spent being physically active,
other recommendations are included in the report. Visit http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/template.cfm?template=pr_123103.html
for more information on the revised guidelines.<back to top>

FREE FACT SHEET ON CHILDHOOD OBESITY:
The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools has created a four-page
fact sheet that summarizes key findings on the background and health
consequences of childhood obesity. Information about nutrition and
physical activity in schools is also included. Download the free
fact sheet from http://www.healthinschools.org/sh/obesityfs.asp.<back to top>

FREE VERB MATERIALS:
The VERB campaign is offering free materials for encouraging children
to be more physically active. Stickers, temporary tattoos, and posters
are available for ordering at no cost (while supplies last), and
a student planner and classroom materials are available for downloading.
Visit http://www.cdc.gov/youthcampaign/materials/order_form/
to place an order and to download materials.<back to top>

NEW ADA GUIDELINES FOR RECREATION
FACILITIES:
This past September the U.S. Access Board created new guidelines
for access to recreation facilities covered by the Americans with
Disabilities Act. For more information, go to http://www.access-board.gov/news/rec-guides.htm
(CDC Livability listserv 12/11/03).<back to top>

UPDATED NIH SENIOR HEALTH WEB
SITE:
The NIH Senior Health web site has been updated and now includes
new topics and a “talking web” feature. The site includes a section
on Exercise for Older Adults with videos, demonstrations of exercises,
and safety tips. The web site is a collaboration between the National
Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine and can
be found at http://nihseniorhealth.gov.<back to top>

POLICY PROFILES:
The Center for Health Improvement has added several new policy profiles
to its Health Policy Coach website. Health Policy Coach contains
prevention-focused policy strategies that have been implemented
in communities across the county. Some of the new profiles focus
on obesity, physical activity, and nutrition. To view the profiles
visit http://www.healthpolicycoach.org/default.asp.
(CDC-PA listserv)<back to top>

PROMOTING ACTIVE COMMUNITIES

PARTNERSHIPS TO PROMOTE
ACTIVE LIVING:
Active Living by Design and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have
partnered with 25 cities across the country to promote active living.
Each city will receive $200,000 in grant money to address land use,
community design, transportation, architecture, trails, parks, and
other issues that impact healthy lifestyles.
(CDC PA Listserv)

NEIGHBORHOOD WALKING
GUIDE:
The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center has created a neighborhood
walking guide that lists reasons people do not walk in neighborhoods
and ways to address the issues. The guide can be found at http://www.walkinginfo.org/cps/guide.htm
(from CENTERLINES 12/5/03).<back to top>

NEW ACTIVE LIVING RESOURCE:
The International City/County Management Association (ICMA), an
Active Living Leadership partner, has created Active Living for
Older Adults: Management Strategies for Healthy and Livable Communities
Guide. Intended for local government leaders and managers, the
guide explains active living and provides general strategies for
beginning an active aging initiative. It also provides specific
strategies for key areas, including streetscape design, transportation,
housing, land use, and promoting awareness. Visit http://preview.tinyurl.com/5fgeny to access the guide.<back to top>

ACTIVE LIVING RESEARCH FUNDING:
Active Living Research, a national program of The Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, has posted a Call for Proposals for a new round of funding.
Cycle One proposals are up to $600,000 for 3 years and the deadline
for application is February 18, 2004. Cycle Two is for proposals
requesting up to $150,000 for up to two years and the deadline is
September 1, 2004. For more information visit http://www.activelivingresearch.org.<back to top>

ACTIVE LIVING LEADERSHIP
AWARDS:
Active Living Leadership has awarded new grants to help state and
local leaders make their communities more activity-friendly. This
second round of grants, totaling $1 million, was awarded to several
national organizations, including the Local Government Commission;
the National Governors Association; the International City/County
Management Association; the National Conference of State Legislatures;
and the Joint Center for Sustainable Communities. These organizations
will work with cities and states to retrofit neighborhoods for more
pedestrian and bicycle accommodations, to adopt active living policies,
and to locate schools in walkable communities.<back to top>

UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS

PROPOSALS FOR PRO WALK/BIKE 2004:
Presentation proposals will be accepted until February 15 for Pro
Walk/Bike 2004, the 13th International Symposium on Bicycling and
Walking. The conference will be held September 7-10, 2004 in Victoria,
British Columbia and the theme is Creating Active Communities.
More information can be found at http://www.bikewalk.org/PWPB2004/paper_submissions.htm.<back to top>

MAKING CITIES LIVABLE CONFERENCE:
The 39th International Making Cities Livable Conference: The
Healthy Community and the Built Environment will be held March
15-19, 2004 in Sarasota, FL. A range of topics about communities
and the built environment will be covered, including increasing
walkability through design, urban lifestyle and transportation policy,
planning for bicycling and walking, and suburban sprawl as a health
risk factor. Go to http://www.livablecities.org/
for more information.<back to top>

OBESITY AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT
CONFERENCE:
The NIH Obesity and Built Environment Conference will be held in
Washington, DC on May 24-26. The conference theme is Improving
Public Health Through Community Design, and it will focus on
the how the built environment impacts obesity via access to physical
activity and food. Visit http://www.niehs.nih.gov/drcpt/beoconf/
for more information and to register.<back to top>

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Prevention Research Center
Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina
730 Devine Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29208
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